This is an open access article under the CC BY license: Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal ISSN (printed): 1818 – 1171, ISSN (online): 2312 – 0789 Vol. 20, No. 3, September (2024), pp. 36-50 Design and Implementation of Multi-Configuration Rolling Machine F.F. Mustafa*, S.Q. Al-Musawi**, Hussain A. Mahdi***, K. N. Salloomi****, S.D. Reda*****, Ahmed Al-Ashaab****** and Adel Al-Jumaily******* *,**,****Automated Manufacturing Department, Al-Khwarizmi College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10071, Iraq ***Maintenance board manager, Ministry of Oil, Midland refinery company, Baghdad, Iraq *****General Directorate of electrical power production, Ministry of Electricity Baghdad, Iraq ******Manufacturing Department, School of Aerospace, Transport & Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedford, UK *******Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology Brunei, Brunei *Email: dr.faiz@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iq (Corresponding Author) **Email: sarahmsc136@gmail.com ***Email: eng.hussainalbawi@gmail.com ****Email: kareem@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iq *****Email: dr.eng.sarmad@gmail.com ******Email: a.al-ashaab@cranfield.ac.uk *******Email: adel.aljumaily@gmail.com (Received 6 November 2023; Revised 2 April 2024; Accepted 26 June 2024; Published 1 September 2024) https://doi.org/10.22153/kej.2024.06.001 Abstract For decades, metal corrugated sheets have usually been manufactured using conventional roll-forming machines with lower and upper rollers or a die and a press as the main shaping elements. However, these machines and their related processes present economic disadvantages because of additional expenses required to improve and manage forming tools. To overcome these drawbacks, reconfigurable machines, such as dedicated and flexible manufacturing systems, were used as alternatives; they possess high flexibility for accomplishing forming processes. Reconfigurable machines are designed around a particular family of manufactured outcomes, allowing for high system flexibility. In light of the latest developments in reconfigurable machine design, this study proposes a new sheet metal forming roller called the discrete multi disk roller (MDR) as an alternative to the traditional roller design. Unlike existing processes, the MDR minimises production costs associated with material loss and effectively decreases forming errors. Furthermore, it utilises multi-disk as reconfigurable rollers. The technique and applicable procedure of the MDR are described, and wavy sheets with different dimensions and shapes are formed to verify the applicability of the reconfigurable roller, a critical component in the forming process. Thirteen parts with different configuration profiles were produced using the proposed MDR machine. Keywords: machine design; reconfigurable machine; discrete multi-disk roller; reconfigurable manufacturing 1. Introduction Medium- and high-volume parts are currently produced by applying two conventional manufacturing techniques: dedicated manufacturing systems (DMSs) and flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). DMSs are cost- effective for large production volumes and extended production durations, so they are intentionally used to produce a specific, unchanging part [1]. Conversely, FMSs are economical when the manufacturing quantities are limited, and large varieties of parts are produced, allowing for many design modifications to be mailto:dr.faiz@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iq mailto:sarahmsc136@gmail.com mailto:eng.hussainalbawi@gmail.com mailto:dr.eng.sarmad@gmail.com mailto:a.al-ashaab@cranfield.ac.uk mailto:adel.aljumaily@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.22153/kej.2024.06.001 F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 37 made during production [2]. Nonetheless, the fast changes in market demands have rendered traditional DMSs impractical for many industrial applications, leading to a broader adoption of FMSs. However, the inability to achieve the same level of efficiency and robustness as in DMSs and the high resource wastage during production procedures have made FMSs uneconomical in many situations [3]. In response to these challenges, a novel approach to customised manufacturing was developed named reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs). The major advantage of this new technique is the customised flexibility to produce a ‘part family’ of products at lower investment costs than FMSs [1]. Typically, RMSs incorporates conventional flexible machines and a new type of machine called the reconfigurable machine (RM) into its production line. RMs are designed around a specific part family of products and enable substantial changes in their structure. The idea behind RMs is to allow changes in machine configuration according to production requirements. RMs introduced a new methodology to bridge the gap between the high flexibility and high cost of totally flexible machines and the low flexibility and low cost of fully dedicated machines [1]. In addition, these systems are designed to accommodate a specific range of production requirements (i.e. product mix and volumes). RMSs are categorised according to their functional flexibility. They may be suitable for certain production requirements or economically replaced with a new set of production necessities. With the flexibility of combining the advantages of DMSs and FMSs such as production requirement customisation, resource minimisation and flexibility in their design, RMSs are considered an economical and robust solution for many industrial applications [4,5,6]. Several studies have focused on the rolling process using a dedicated roller die. Scientific literature on the reconfigurable rolling process (RRP) using a pin or punch-type tooling is limited. Yoon et al. [7,8,9,10] proposed a new sheet metal forming process named the flexibly reconfigurable roll forming (FRRF) as an alternative to existing processes. Unlike the conventional forming processes, FRRF can lower the production expenses resulting from material loss and minimise forming errors. Moreover, it uses a smaller apparatus, adjustable punches and upper and lower reconfigurable rollers to manufacture full-size blanks in the longitudinal direction, similar to the regular roll forming process. Wang et al. [11,12] designed a novel forming process for 3D surface parts that combines rolling with multi-point forming technology. This process employs a set of two forming rolls. The roll gap of the forming rolls has a non-regular distribution which, when controlled, leads to a residual stress pattern in the sheet metal that generates a 3D deformation. To advance flexible manufacturing, Cai et al. [13] and Park et al. [14] developed a highly flexible forming technology that can efficiently produce 3D sheet metal sections with multiple curvatures. This process uses a forming tool consisting of an upper flexible roll and two lower flexible rolls in which the shape of the flexible roll can be changed vertically. However, reconfigurable flexible forming systems still experience difficulties, such as problems related to positioning and locking pins and issues of uneven surface effects caused by small, discrete pins. This study proposes a new rolling machine design is to overcome the above- mentioned drawbacks of pin-type tooling. The rolling method utilised here differs from the previous methods. It produces variable wavy shapes in a single roller stand without the need for multiple rollers. The process is achieved by adjusting the rolls constructed from distinct disks with varying diameters and thicknesses. Different groupings and arrangements of these disks result in a variety of waveforms and dimensions. 2. Invented Multi-Disk Roller (MDR) In the shape-forming process, two rollers are used to press a workpiece, deforming it until it reaches the desired shape and geometry that is machined onto the outer surface of both rollers. Figure 1 shows a schematic of a shape-rolling machine that produces corrugated plates characterised by amplitude and wavelength. A restriction of machined rollers (MRs) is that each roller set is dedicated to producing a specific shape and dimension, requiring a replacement in case of wear or failure. The proposed roller (upper and lower) suggests discretising the waveform by chopping the roller along its length into disks. In addition to other waveforms and dimensions that can be approximated using these disks, the required waveform can be obtained by synthesising these disks. Figure 2 shows the transformation from MR to MDR. The MDR overcomes the limitations of MR because of the manipulative susceptibility of disks and the recyclability of the configured disks. In the event of wear and failure, F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 38 the disks can be reproduced by refining larger disks into smaller ones, allowing for continued use in operational processes. Fig. 1. Production of a corrugated plate characterised by amplitude and wavelength Fig. 2. Transformation from machined rollers (MRs) to Multi-disk rollers (MDRs) 3. Design of MDR Roller disk dimensions (thickness and diameter) are crucial in the forming process. A thinner disk allows for better approximation of the waveform profile, but high-strength material is needed for disk manufacturing. Disk diameter also depends on thickness because they both determine the geometry the disk will generate. The rollers with multiple disks are multi-point forming tools whose geometric configuration is illustrated in Figure 3. Each disk has a uniform thickness of 1 mm, and the disk diameter is determined using a sine curve equation based on the roller’s properties and dimensions. Referring to Figure 3, n L n Uf RtRH  …(1) ) 2 sin( 2 )( 2 L nSt xy H R fn U   …(2) ) 2 sin( 2 )( 2 L nSt xy H R fn L   …(3) Where L is the wavelength, n is the disk number, S is the disk thickness, t is the workpiece thickness (plate), x is the dimension along roller length, y(x) is the deformed shape describing function and Hf is the distance between lower roller centre line and upper roller centre line. n U R and n L R are the upper and lower roller disk radii, respectively. A is the amplitude of the sine wave defined as follows: ) 2 sin()( L nS Axy   , where n = 1, 2,3,… Solving these equations for (Hf = 120 mm, L = 40 mm, A = 10 mm, t = 0.5 mm, S=1 mm and n (1 to 40)) gives the results shown in Table 1. The disk arrangement on each roller is illustrated in Figure 4. The top roller starts ascending to configure the upper edge of the metal, and the lower roller starts descending to configure the lower edge of the metal. F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 39 Fig. 3. Design of MDR Table 1. Calculated disk radii Fig. 4. Disk arrangement: (a) upper roller and (b) lower roller 4. General Configuration of MDR The rollers synthesised from disks were arranged in a sequence, so they formed a sine wave curve with a specific dimension. Each roller has 240 disks, distributed over six waves, with each wave comprising 40 disks. One dimension of a sine curve is the wavelength which is calculated from the number of disks and their thicknesses. In this case, the wavelength of the reconfigured profile is L = 40 mm. Another dimension is the amplitude (A), the absolute value of the maximum displacement from a zero value during one oscillation period. The measurements involve diameters, so the amplitude can be determined as shown in Figure 5. D10 represents the maximum disk radius, and D30 represents the minimum disk radius. Where D10/2 = 69.75 and D30/2 = 49.75 Amplitude = ((D10/2) – (D30/2)) / 2 = 10. Disk Number Lower Roller (mm) Upper Roller (mm) Disk number Lower Roller (mm) Upper Roller (mm) D1 58.19 61.31 D21 61.31 58.19 D2 56.66 62.84 D22 62.84 56.66 D3 55.21 64.29 D23 64.29 55.21 D4 53.87 65.63 D24 65.63 53.87 D5 52.68 66.82 D25 66.82 52.68 D6 51.66 67.84 D26 67.84 51.66 D7 50.84 68.66 D27 68.66 50.84 D8 50.24 69.26 D28 69.26 50.24 D9 49.87 69.63 D29 69.63 49.87 D10 49.75 69.75 D30 69.75 49.75 D11 49.87 69.63 D31 69.63 49.87 D12 50.24 69.26 D32 69.26 50.24 D13 50.84 68.66 D33 68.66 50.84 D14 51.66 67.84 D34 67.84 51.66 D15 52.68 66.82 D35 66.82 52.68 D16 53.87 65.63 D36 65.63 53.87 D17 55.21 64.29 D37 64.29 55.21 D18 56.66 62.84 D38 62.84 56.66 D19 58.19 61.31 D39 61.31 58.19 D20 59.75 59.75 D40 59.75 59.75 F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 40 Fig. 5. Calculated sine curve amplitude 5. MDR Apparatus and Its Implementation St35 steel alloy was selected for the disks because of its cost-effectiveness and suitability for plasma cutting processing that offers high cutting precision and quality edge cutting essential for achieving the desired shape. All cutting edges underwent grinding to produce a smooth contact surface which touches one another during disk assembly. The disks were then tightly secured along a shaft with a length of 530 mm and a diameter or 25 mm to prevent movement or separation during the forming process, as shown in Figure 6. The shaft holds a pillow block bearing that is composed of mounted units and is designed to provide shaft support with the mounting surface parallel to the shaft axis. The bolt holes in the bearing are usually slotted for adjustment during mounting. The frame of the developed machine body is shown in Figure 7a. It consists of a ground base with two guide plates mounted on each side. Two upper mounting frames, as shown in Figure 7b, are attached to the top portion of the machine body with a top adjustment bolt. These frames are designed to provide vertical adjustment for the upper roller and carry and support the bearing guide. Each bearing guide is attached to the frame by bolts and nuts through aligned holes. The lower mounting frame system is similar to the upper one, except that the coupling nut is replaced by a bolt. A mechanism is used to set the height of the upper roller and adjust the distance between the two rollers, thereby controlling the passage of the metal during the forming process, as shown in Figure 8. A set screw is used to hold the bearing by forcing it through the bolt hole of the bearing, which is attached to the hand wheel to turn its movement. A lock nut is used to secure the screw onto the bearing, preventing it from loosening. In addition, a flat washer is placed beneath the bolt hole to provide a smooth rotation of the screw. The system used to control the pressure applied by the upper roller consists of a hex head bolt to move up and down through a coupling nut, providing a screw path. This mechanism converts rotational movement into linear movement, applying a torque to the roller. As the shaft bolt is rotated relative to the stationary threads (coupling nut), the bolt travels along its axis relative to the surrounding medium. An electric motor gearbox system (1/2 HP with a speed of 50 rpm) with a gear train was used to transmit rotary motion. The gear train consists of spur gears to transmit power from one shaft to another (one gear on each shaft). The nature of the gear train depends on the relative position of the axes of the shafts (two roller shafts and input drive shaft) on which the gears are mounted. Each gear is mounted on a keyed shaft with a round bore and a set screw, ensuring that the gears are fixed relative to each other. The outside diameter of the roller’s gears is 120 mm with 40 teeth, and the outside diameter of the gearbox is 60 mm with 20 teeth, reducing speed and increasing load capacity. The complete machine frame with rollers and its drive system is shown in Figure 9. Straightening guides were used as an accessory tool and mounted on the machine frame, as shown in Figure 10. The guide consists of a right-angle, two-piece part mounted on a strip with a bolt and nut to allow for position adjustments to achieve the required spacing smoothly and easily. F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 41 Disks insertion and arranging Disks clamping Fig. 6. Roller configuration process Fig. 7. (a) Machine frame, (b) Mounted frame Fig. 8. Roller adjustment mechanism Fig. 9. Full machine frame Fig. 10. Sheet guide and handle 6. Results and Discussion The results obtained focus on the profiles produced, and they are discussed together with the design considerations in the roll-forming machine, the reconfigurable mechanism, the geometry of the rollers together with their effect on formed profiles and the benefits of using these rollers. Two different formed profiles are considered in this study: corrugated and multi-dimensional sine curved profiles. In both cases, the reconfiguration is achieved by rearranging the sequence of disks. Various materials with different thicknesses are used for the output-formed sheets, as indicated in Table 2. In all cases, the amplitude value is calculated using D10 and D30, as explained earlier. a- b- All dimensions in mm F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 42 Table 2 Formed profiles, materials and their dimensions 6.1 Corrugated profiles Corrugated profiles are obtained by changing the disk arrangement, which is accomplished by adding and subtracting disks, as detailed in Table 3, to match the die shape profile. Table 3 shows the different roller configurations, produced corrugation profiles, their die shape and measured dimensions. The disk arrangement used to produce these profiles is illustrated in Figure 11. The produced corrugated shapes include curves and straight lines. To form a straight line, a sequence of the same disk diameters is required; each disk repeated two times for each wave results in a maximum line length of 6 mm. However, this length is insufficient compared with a standard profile and does not produce a clear formed profile. This limits the number of repetitions, where the maximum wave number reached is only two waves. The dimensional accuracy of the finished part is affected by the springback property of the shaped metal which in turn causes elastic recovery of deformed parts. As seen in Table 3, the measurements are greater than the die shape. The final form of a part is changed by springback, making it difficult to produce the desired part geometry. Controlling the springback in sheet metal forming is a crucial manufacturing problem. Unless the springback is accurately estimated in advance, a sheet of metal that has been accurately corrugated, shall readjust itself, preventing the proper shape of the corrugations from being retained. Springback can be eliminated by over- forming. The sheet metal is overformed to a smaller dimension than needed. The recovery of the material from springback results in a calculated increase in dimensions. This increase makes the recovered dimensions match the original design. Parameters such as material property, sheet thickness and tooling geometry affect the springback behaviour. Fig. 11. Disk sequence of corrugated profiles Material type Material thickness (mm) Measured amplitude [A] (mm) Measured wavelength [L] (mm) Number of passes Formed profile Steel 0.5 9.9 40 44 Steel 0.8 9.8 40 57 Steel 1 9.86 40 25 Lead 1 10.4 40 6 Zinc 0.3 9.3 40 7 F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 43 Table 3 Corrugated profiles and their dimensions Roller configuration Top configuration of roller Desired dimensions (mm) Measured dimensions (mm) Formed profile 1 2 3 4 Nevertheless, some shape defects, like edge waves, bending in the longitudinal and vertical planes, and twisting, can occur during the rolling process, as shown in Figure 12. To prevent these defects, the mechanisms that cause them should be examined. Shape orientation, which is the part’s position relative to the roll axis, is an important element of roll design. It affects part quality, causing shape defects and limiting the effectiveness of roll-forming passes, making it difficult to achieve the desired dimensional accuracy. Therefore, accessory tooling is necessary to mount the part on horizontal axes between driven roll stages. When the length sheet is fed through a roll-forming machine, a guiding device is used to ensure the part’s sides are properly aligned as it progresses from pass to pass. This tooling process eliminates defects. Fig. 12. Defects of rolled profiles F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 44 6.2 Multi-dimensional sine wave curve profiles Multi-dimensional sine wave curve profiles are divided into the wavelength curve changes (amplitude) and the length curve changes (wavelength). 6.2.1 Multi-wavelength sine wave curve profiles In this type, the wavelength is changed whilst maintaining the same value of the amplitude (10 mm), with disks 10 and 30 remaining unchanged. This process requires reducing the number of disks used to get the specific dimensions. Sine wave curve is symmetrical to the upper and lower parts of the waveform, and each half is symmetrical so that the amount of any disk reduction must be the same for each quarter. In other words, the amount of reduction is multiplied by four. Table 3 shows the derived wavelength which is expressed as follows: – (The amount of disks reduced from one quarter*4) …(4) Where defines the wave’s full length that includes 40 disks. Fine wavelength can be produced as disk reduction increases. The smaller the set of disks, the finer the curve, so more disks are needed to make a smooth surface profile. The maximum number of disks reduction that can be obtained is five disks. Tables 4 and 5 show the dimensions of profiles produced and disks removed to obtain the specific dimensions for sheet thicknesses of 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively. Table 4. Multi-sine wave curve profiles and their dimensions for sheet thickness of 0.5 mm Wavelength [L] (mm) Amplitude [A] (mm) Number of passes Disk removed Formed profile 36 8.5 30 D2-D19-D22-D39 32 7 38 D2-D3-D18-D19-D22- D23-D38-D39 28 5.7 25 D2-D3-D4-D17-D18- D19-D22-D23-D24- D37-D38-D39 24 6 36 D2-D3-D4-D5-D16- D17-D18-D19-D22- D23-D24-D25-D36- D37-D38-D39 24 6.16 48 D3-D5-D7-D9-D11- D13-D15-D17-D23- D25-D27-D29-D31- D33-D35-D37 20 5.76 43 D1-D3-D5-D7-D9- D11-D13-D15-D17- D19-D21-D23-D25- D27-D29-D31-D33- D35-D37-D39 F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 45 Table 5. Multi-sine wave curve profiles and dimensions for sheet thickness of 0.8 mm Wavelength [L] (mm) Amplitude [A] (mm) Number of passes Disk removed Formed profile 36 8 35 D2-D19-D22-D39 32 6.8 45 D2-D3-D18-D19- D22-D23-D38-D39 28 6.1 35 D2-D3-D4-D17-D18- D19-D22-D23-D24- D37-D38-D39 24 6.7 54 D2-D3-D4-D5-D16- D17-D18-D19-D22- D23-D24-D25-D36- D37-D38-D39 24 5.59 56 D3-D5-D7-D9-D11- D13-D15-D17-D23- D25-D27-D29-D31- D33-D35-D37 20 6.15 48 D1-D3-D5-D7-D9-D11- D13-D15-D17-D19- D21-D23-D25-D27- D29-D31-D33-D35- D37-D39 6.2.2 Multi-amplitude sine wave curve profiles In this group, the wavelength is fixed whilst the amplitude is changed by removing disks in the peaks and compensating with a certain number of disks to maintain wavelength. Tables 6 and 7 list the profiles produced with the disk arrangement for two different sheet metal thicknesses. Figure 13 shows the roller configurations for each profile of changed amplitude. The number of waves is reduced because the compensated disks are taken from the other waves to maintain the same wavelength. Disks are set to clamp at their ends with a heavy hex nut used with a threaded insert which is fixed with a dimple drilled into the shaft. The set of disks is 240 mm in length. The reduction of disks to form the required configuration changes the position of the clamped nut; therefore, washers are used to compensate the removed disks to maintain these clamps at their positions for all formed profiles, as seen in Figure 14. In this group, the produced profiles are free of any shape defects, unlike the corrugated profiles. This improvement is attributed to the sheet metal guide discussed earlier. The formed profiles include changes in amplitude and wavelength. The wavelength dimension of all produced profiles is identical with the die-shape wavelength values, but the amplitude dimension is not identical within the die-shape amplitude. The amplitude of the profile is measured by the gap distance available between rollers. Two techniques are followed to remove disks. To reach the die shape wavelength, the disks are removed in ascending direction, maintaining disks (1, 20, 21 and 40) at their position. These disks are considered the start and end points of the curve, and the disks between them are removed sequentially. This configuration is applied to F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 46 wavelengths ranging (36–24) mm. Figure 15 shows the roller configuration results from this technique, and Figure 14 shows the clearance generated between rollers. The other wavelength values take the same shape but with varied sizes according to the part length. The clearance configuration between rollers shown in Figure 16 is the same for all formed profiles. As the number of removed disks increases, the difference between the diameters of the remaining disks grows, leading to a greater number of passes over a considerable area. This technique results in a high compressional stress on the edges of the disks, causing them to fold. Therefore, another technique is applied to the wavelength (24). Disks (1-20-21-40) remain at their position where the even-numbered disks are removed, and the sequence of disks remains in the roller (e.g. D1-D3-D5-D7-D9-D11-D13-D15-D17- D19…). This arrangement is applied to wavelengths 24 and 20. For the 20 mm wavelength, the number of disks that should be removed is 20 disks. Following this technique, the disks removed were 10 and 30 to minimise the difference between the disks. Therefore, the die shape amplitude is calculated as the difference between disk 9 (which is the same diameter as disk 11) and disk 29 (which is the same diameter as disk 31). This configuration mechanism produced some shape defects, as shown in Table 8. High concentrations of stresses and strain are developed at sharp peaks caused by disk reduction. Reduction of the peak area makes it weaker, and the material starts cracking. Fracturing starts at these sharp peaks, and the reduction in the roller disk makes it brittle, and the plastic deformation in the sheet to exceeds the ductility of the metal, leading to rupture and tearing of the sheet metal. As seen in Table 8, necking develops after some strain, causing thinning and stretching. As previously mentioned, deformation becomes concentrated in the peak area, and the necking further intensifies the deformation, causing the part to stretch and eventually fracture. The capability of the machine to handle the amplitude of the profile is restricted by certain design attributes, such as the roller gap control. A key target of roll Table 6. Formed profiles of 0.5 mm sheet thickness and their dimensions Die shape amplitude Measured amplitude Number of waves Compensated disks Number of compensated disks Formed profile 9.88 9.3 4 D9-D11-D29- D31 One for each peak 8.91 10.25 2 D8-D12-D28- D32 Three for each peak Table 7. Formed profiles of 0.8mm sheet thickness and their dimensions Die shape amplitude Measured amplitude Number of waves Compensated disks Number of compensated disks Formed profile 9.88 9.3 4 D9-D11-D29- D31 One for each peak 8.91 9.6 2 D8-D12-D28- D32 Three for each peak F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 47 Fig. 13. Roller configuration of Fig. 14. Clamped configuration reconfigured amplitude of sine wave curve for A = 9.88 (a) and A = 8.91 (b) Fig. 15. Roller configuration Fig 16. Gap between rollers pass design is to accurately build a sequence of reductions to minimise the relative differences in shape changes between different areas, thereby avoiding material imperfections. Improper reductions of the product can cause warping or cracking of the material, as presented in the profile. Another technique for forming the part is adopted in the next section. Table 8. Shape defects of formed profiles Wavelength of profile Profile thickness of 0.8 mm Profile thickness of 0.5 mm 24 20 6.3 Variable wave number per pass A sequential forming process is used to produce accurate dimensional parts without serious defects. The formed part is constructed firstly by partitioning the die with only two waves, followed by the cumulative addition of other waves. For steel-type material, the number of passes required for the production of a two- wave formed sheet is 15 and 22 for four waves, which ensures the efficiency of this procedure. The formed part closely matches the die shape’s wavelength and achieves an amplitude value that is reasonably close to the desired value. The work hardening and strength of the formed part are effective parameters that facilitate the production of the wave part without failure. The produced profile is shown in Figure 17, and its dimensions are shown in Table 9. For lead-type material, the forming process using the same roller configuration is slightly more complicated. Only two waves are formed because of the penetrating lines formed on the metal surface which substantially increase the wavelength and make pulling the metal difficult and impossible. Figure 18 shows the formed part of a two-wave profile and penetrating lines on the surface. F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 48 Table 9. Dimensions of formed profiles Fig. 17. First stage of the formed profile consisting of two waves (a) and second stage of the formed profile consisting of four waves (b) Fig. 18. Formed lead sheet (a) and penetrating lines on surface (b) 7. Conclusions This research aims to improve the flexibility in roll forming process and reconfigurability of the related manufacturing tools. It focuses on the novel idea of using multiple thin disks with varying diameters to compose the upper and lower rollers of the rolling/roll forming process which then converge the shape of the target sheet profile. This interesting approach of MDRs positively affects the reparation effort of the rollers in case of wear or failure. The reason is that only the replacement of single disks is necessary, thus avoiding the full reproduction of the rollers. Additionally, defective disks can be recycled by machining bigger disks into smaller ones which leads to cost savings. MDRs can produce a diverse range of parts, including sine wave curves and corrugated profiles, especially with acute requirements on geometry modification. The MDR can produce 13 different parts on the same machine. The reconfigurable designs include the part scale and shape. The primary design limitation in achieving a greater variety of outputs is the number of disks used which determines the shape and dimensions of the product. This limitation can be overcome by increasing the size of the roller and using a greater number of disks, enabling the production of Material type Material thickness (mm) Die shape amplitude (mm) Die shape wavelength (mm) Measured amplitude (mm) Measured wavelength (mm) Number of passes Steel 0.5 9.88 20 9.25 (for two cycles) 8.4 (for four cycles) 20 15 (for two cycles) 22 (for four cycles) Lead 3 9.88 20 8.325 (for only two cycles) 20 25 F.F. Mustafa Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, Vol. 20, No.3, P.P. 36- 50 (2024) 49 multiple profile geometries. The discrete nature of the designed rollers allows for reconfiguration into multiple configurations, saving cost and time necessary to invent new tools. Various products with different geometries and dimensions have been manufactured, confirming the tool’s capability. Inadequate reductions in both the manufactured part and the metal guide, along with alignment issues, bring out defects such as dimensional irregularities and fractures. This study has identified solutions to avoid these defects. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the University of Baghdad/Al-Khwarzmi College of Engineering for laboratory assistance. References [1] Katz, R., 2007, Design principles of reconfigurable machines, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 34(5– 6), 430–439. [2] Sethi, A.K. and Sethi, S.P., 1990, Flexibility in Manufacturing: A Survey, International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 2, pp. 289–328. 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[7] Kim, H.H., Yoon, J.S., Kim, J., Kang, B.S., 2014, Feasibility Study on Flexibly Reconfigurable Roll Forming Process for Sheet Metal and Its Implementation, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Advances in Mechanical Engineering, Volume 2014, Article ID 958925. [8] Son, S.E., Yoon, J.S., Kim, J., Kang, B.S, 2014, Effect of Shape Design Variables on Flexibly- Reconfigurable Roll Forming of Multi-curved Sheet Metal, Transactions of Materials Processing , Volume 23, Issue 2, pp.103-109 [9] Son, S.E., Yoon, J.S., Kim, H.H., Kim, J., Kang, B.S, 2016, Evaluation of Formability Dependent on Reconfigurable Roller Types for 3D Curved Sheet Forming, Transactions of Materials Processing, Volume 25, Issue 1, pp.12-20 [10] Park, M. Kil, J. Kim, B. Kang, 2017, A Predictive model of flexibly-reconfigurable roll forming process using regression analysis, Procedia Engineering 207, 1266–1271 [11] Wang, D.M., Li, M.Z. and Cai, Z.Y., 2014, An investigation on roll adjusting radius in three- dimensional rolling process for three- dimensional surface parts, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture. [12] Wang, D.M., Li, M.Z., Wang, Y., Cai, Z.Y, Liu, H., 2015, Investigation and improvement of 3D rolling process for 3D surface parts, Int J Adv Manuf Technol, 78:407–417. [13] Cai ZY, Li MZ, Lan YW, 2012, Three- dimensional sheet metal continuous forming process based on flexible roll bending: Principle and experiments , Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Volume 212, Issue 1, Pages 120–127. [14] Park J-W, Kim J, Kang B-S. Development on a Prediction Model for Experimental Condition of Flexibly Reconfigurable Roll Forming Process. Metals. 2019; 9(8):896. https://doi.org/10.3390/met9080896 https://doi.org/10.3390/met9080896 (2024) 36-50، صفحة 3، العدد20جلدمجلة الخوارزمي الهندسية الم فائز فوزي مصطفى 50 تصميم وتنفيذ ماكنة لف متعددة التكوين ، ****، كريم نعمه سلومي***، حسين علي مهدي **، سارة قاسم الموسوي * فائز فوزي مصطفى *******، عادل الجميلي ******احمد االشعب ، *****سرمد ضياء رضا قسم هندسة التصنيع المؤتمت، كلية الهندسة الخوارزمي، جامعة بغداد، بغداد ، العراق *،**،**** مدير هيئة الصيانة، وزارة النفط، شركة مصافي الوسط، بغداد، العراق *** لعراق، بغداد، االمديرية العامة إلنتاج الطاقة الكهربائية، وزارة الكهرباء ***** قسم التصنيع، كلية الطيران والنقل والتصنيع، جامعة كرانفيلد، كرانفيلد، بيدفورد، المملكة المتحدة ****** كلية الهندسة، الجامعة التكنولوجية بروناي، بروناي ******* hdad.edu.iqdr.faiz@kecbu.uobagالبريد االلكتروني:* Sarahmsc136@gmail.com : البريد االلكتروني** eng.hussainalbawi@gmail.comالبريد االلكتروني:*** kareem@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iqالبريد االلكتروني:**** dr.eng.sarmad@gmail.comالبريد االلكتروني:***** ashaab@cranfield.ac.uk-a.al:البريد االلكتروني****** comadel.aljumaily@gmail.البريد االلكتروني:******* المستخلص علوية أو ت السفلية والباستخدام آالت تشكيل تقليدية تتضمن استخدام كل من األسطوانا غالبالعقود من الزمان، كانت الصفائح المتموجة المعدنية تُصنع فقات ن فةيتم اضاإذ عيوب، اقالب وضاغط كعناصر رئيسة للتشكيل. من الناحية االقتصادية، فأن استخدام مثل هذه اآلالت مع العمليات المتصلة بها يوجد له وأنظمة التصنيع للتغلب على مثل هذه العيوب، تم استخدام آالت قابلة للتشكيل )أنظمة التصنيع المخصصةو. ها التشكيل وادارتإضافية لتحسين أدوات ن األجزاء ائلة معينة معالمرنة( كفئة أخرى من اآلالت التي تتمتع بمرونة عالية في إنجاز عمليات التشكيل. يتم بناء اآلالت القابلة للتشكيل ببساطة حول اً جديدتصميماً ح الحالية تقتر نتيجة للتطورات األخيرة في مجال تصميم اآلالت القابلة للتشكيل ، فان الورقة البحثيةومح بمرونة عالية في نظامها. الُمنتجة وتس على عكس اص.قركبديل للتصميم الحالي لأل Discrete Multi Disk Roller (MDR)سمى األسطوانة المتعددة األقراص ال يلتشكيل الصفائح المعدنية يتضمن ذلك، فضال عن تقليل التكاليف اإلنتاجية الجماعية الناجمة عن فقد المواد وتقليل األخطاء في التشكيل بفعالية. MDRالعمليات الحالية، يمكن لـ ختلفة للتحقق بأبعاد وأشكال م وتشكيل صفائح مموجة MDRقراص قابلة للتشكيل. تم وصف تقنية وإجراءات أالتصميم المقترح استخدام أقراص متعددة ك اكنة ال ة باستخدام ممن قابلية استخدام االقراص القابلة للتشكيل وهي عنصر حرج في هذه العملية التشكيلية. تم إنتاج ثالثة عشر جزًءا بتكوينات مختلف MDR. mailto:dr.faiz@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iq mailto:Sarahmsc136@gmail.com mailto:eng.hussainalbawi@gmail.com mailto:kareem@kecbu.uobaghdad.edu.iq mailto:dr.eng.sarmad@gmail.com mailto:a.al-ashaab@cranfield.ac.uk mailto:adel.aljumaily@gmail.com